Composition for treating coal and the like



Patented Sept. 7, 1948 COMPOSITION FOR TREATING COAL AND THE LIKE I Werner E. Kleinicke, Manhasset, N. Y., assignor to The Johnson-March Corporation, New York. N. Y., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application November 13, 1944, Serial No. 563,321

6 Claims. (Cl. 106-423) This invention relates to a novel composition adaptable for use in the treating of coal, coke, and the like, more particularly for allaying and preventing dusting of coal, coke, and the like.

Hefeto'fore, as is wll known, coal has been treated by spraying with petroleum oil to allay dust. Such treatment has been found useful, but is subject to substantial limitation in that it is not substantially efiective in the treatment of damp and wet or washed coal due to the immiscibility of water and oil, which prevents the oil from adhering to the surface of the coal and permits the.enlargement of globules deposited on the wet surface to droplets, the majority of which drain off the coal with the excess washing water.

Again, it has been found that for effective treatment the cheaper grades of .fuel oil, such, for example; as Bunker C, are not effective for use because of their lack of spreadability.

Various efforts have been made to utilize the cheaper grades of fuel oil, such as Bunker C, for the treatment of coal, but it has been found that even preheating and extreme atomization did not effectively promote the spreading of such oils into the required thin continuous -film over the goal particles to render the coal acceptably dustess.

Now in accordance with this invention, there is provided a composition which when added to petroleum oil of the types heretofore used or to the cheaper grades of fuel oil such as Bunker C, will insure the formation of a desired thin, adherent film of oil over the particles of the coal and render the coal desirably dustless. In the alternative, the ingredients of the composition according to this invention may be added separately to petroleum oil to be sprayed on coal with like effect to that obtained by addition of the composition to the oil.

The composition in accordance with this invenwill desirably be included even where a fatty acid,

or mixtures of fatty acids as such, are used rather than tall oil. Where a wetting agent is included the solvent will be such as to also dissolve the wetting agent.

The wetting agent will be soluble in petroleum oil and, for example, may be aryl alkyl polyether alcohol, such, for example, as is marketed by I Rohm 8: Haas, under the name Triton NE, a

tion will contain essentially an ufigjuratediatty si ubaimalttgazin .,aipiaa or a mixture of such acids, with which will esirably also be included an oil-soluble wetting agent,

The unsaturated fatty acid having 18 carbon atoms may, for example, be oleic acid, linoleic acid, or the like, or may, and desirably will, comprise tall oil which, as is well known, is a byproduct of the sulfite pulp process and contains a large percentage of oleic and linoleic acids, and in addition rosin acids and sterols. A petroleum oil miscible solvent for the tall oil is desirably also included in the composition, though it will be understood that a petroleum oil miscible solvent highly sulfonated alkyl aryl compound, such, for example, as is marketedbyrnold, Hoffman & Co., under the name Ahcowet ANS, an ester of a sulfodicarboxylic acid, such as sodium .dioctyl sulfosuccinate, marketed under the name Aerosol OT by Cyanamid Co.

. Where a solvent is included in the composition, as will be especially desirable where tall 011 is used in order to prevent crystallizing out of the rosin acids, the solvent may be any liquid which will dissolve the unsaturated fatty acids or tall oil and the wetting agent and which will be at the same time miscible with the petroleum oil to be sprayed on the coal.

By wayof example and illustration, the solvent will-desirably have a low pour test and low viscosity. The solvent may, for example, be a petroleum derivative, preferably a light petroleum oil, a coal tar derivative, a wood distillation product, or the like, boiling within the range 350-650" F. and desirably will have a high aromatics content, for example, or more. By way of specific example, a suitable solvent, comprises a petroleum derivative boiling within about the range 350- 650 F., having a pour test T. of --40 F., a Saybolt Universal viscosity at F: of 30-40, containing a minimum of about 75% aromatics and a maximum of about 15% olefin. Such product is presently marketed by Sun Oil Company under the nameSun 151-3.

With reference to the solvent, it will be understood, however, that the solvent may comprise oil of the type to be sprayed upon coal.

As has been indicated, an unsaturated fatty acid having 18 carbon atoms, or a mixture of such acids and, where included, an oil-soluble wetting agent may be added, either in admixture or separately, directly to the oil to be sprayed on the coal. In such case the oil to be sprayed will serve as a solvent for the fatty acid, or fatty acids, or the talloil, where such is used, as well as for the wetting agent where such is included.

On the other hand, the fatty acid, or mixture of fatty acids, or tall oil and the Wetting agent, where included, may be combined for shipment for addition to oil to be sprayed on coal at a dis- 

